Background: In view of high mortality and morbidity from Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in young Papua New Guinean children, the incorporation of a Hib conjugate vaccine into a nationwide immunization program would be of major public health benefit.
Methods: We evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a lyophilized and a liquid form of Hib polysaccharide-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccines (PRP-T) given in the same syringe as diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine to children in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. In Part 1 of the study 209 children were randomized to receive at ages 1, 2 and 3 months either DTP alone or a liquid formulation of DTP/PRP-T or lyophilized PRP-T dissolved in DTP suspension. A further 75 children were given the liquid DTP/PRP-T formulation at ages 2, 3 and 4 months (Part 2). 54 children aged 15-18 months were given a booster of the same preparation of PRP-T/DTP as they had received during Part 1. Blood for antibody assays was collected at enrolment, before (Part 1 only) and one month after the third dose, then just before and 3 weeks after the booster dose.
Results: Follow-up to age of 12 months showed that PRP-T was safe with no evidence of impaired response to individual vaccine components when combined with DTP. Geometric mean titres (GMTs) of anti-PRP antibody before vaccination (n = 64, mean age 41 days), after 2 doses (mean age 99 days) and after 3 doses (mean age 132 days) of the lyophilized formulation were 0.21, 1.48 and 5.04 microg/ml, respectively, with 58% and 89% having anti-PRP antibody titres > or = 1.0 microg/ml after 2 and 3 doses, respectively. Anti-PRP antibody responses to the liquid Hib vaccine formulation were lower (GMT post-dose 3 = 0.48 microg/ml) than to the lyophilized formulation, but better responses were elicited from older children (Part 2; GMT post-dose 3 = 0.78 microg/ml, with 79% > or = 0.15 microg/ml). Both PRP-T preparations elicited excellent booster responses suggesting that children are likely to be protected if exposed to Hib infection.
Conclusions: Lyophilized PRP-T given together with DTP is safe and immunogenic when given to young infants. The liquid DTP/PRP-T formulation showed a lower immunogenicity than in earlier studies with this vaccine, which might have been due to exposure to low temperature during shipment or the younger age at immunization.